[October 1, 2042]
Mel the ghost was bored most days. As it turns out, experiencing time in a completely linear and continuous manner wasn’t very exciting when you had neither hobbies nor a corporeal body.
So, she experimented. Going outside was still a little frightening to her, particularly when she didn’t have Cal for company, but she forced herself a little further out along the property of Otter House every few days or so, just to practice what it would feel like. She went out onto the grassy hill, to the coast of the property where the grass turned into a beach of small stones that hugged the coast of the bay, even to the front gate of the property. She watched many people pass, all their lives rushing by her, and felt filled with nostalgia. Whenever she felt anxious, she remembered the boy’s words and would repeat them under her breath.
“Nowhere safe and nowhere terrifying,” she would murmur quietly when she was sure nobody would hear her, “and it doesn’t matter either way. You’re a ghost, Mel. You’re super scary and super cute. The living make movies and TV shows in terror and praise of you.”
One day, when Mel came home from people-watching, she was a little more careless than usual. Instead of floating up to room 01 from the outside of the house, Mel glided through the front wall, emerging in the living room of the manor, where she immediately froze. Previously watching TV, now her green eyes curiously observing the ghost, was Aina ud Cormac, fourth princess of Luvinia.
“Ah, the wayward spirit of this estate,” Aina said, her voice measured and dignified, “I was beginning to wonder if I imagined you all together.”
For a long moment, Mel considered bailing on the interaction — floating up into the ceiling without a word and disappearing. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, the princess from another world intimidated her: her beauty, her intensely green eyes, her pretty clothes (today, Aina was wearing another beautiful outfit: a sunflower-yellow dress that looked more expensive than anything in the entirety of Otter Manor). There was an aversion and self-consciousness towards the princess that Mel couldn’t even explain to herself. The sight of Aina’s red wavy hair and unblemished pale face was enough to make the ghost girl want to disappear from sight.
She’s what femininity ought to look like, Mel thought, I’m just the shadow of an image that never existed.
“Princess Aina,” said Mel slowly, trying not to show signs of her nervousness, “that’s you, isn’t it?”
Aina nodded, turning her body on the couch so it more easily faced Mel. “Yes, that’s me. I’m glad at least someone in this place besides Bridget recognizes my rank. Well, the Ram girl — my royal guide — she tries, but she’s always tripping over her words. I think she’s scared of me, and of everyone.”
“And you’re the reason I’m visible to others now… on this property, at least?”
Aina’s green eyes looked Mel up and down. The ghost was floating beside the wall where she had entered, her posture withdrawn, with arms around herself and her gaze looking downward at the floor.
“Yes,” Aina said, “that was me. More specifically, it was the effects of a protective ward that I placed in my room upon arrival, a trinket I just so happened to take with me from home. I did it to prepare for an exorcism, and the revealing of your presence was simply to pave the way for such a ceremony.”
Aina blinked, as if she just realized what she said. “Oh, but don‘t be alarmed, it was just in case you turned out to be a malignant spirit. That troublesome peasant gave me a lecture, assuring me that you’re perfectly safe and that he would kick me out of the accommodation promptly if I used my magic to send you to the afterlife.”
While Aina frowned in disapproval upon saying these words, Mel seemed to brighten at the mention of Cal. She uncrossed her arms and floated a little closer to Aina, the hem of her dress swaying. Her previous nervousness seemed to be forgotten temporarily.
“Cal said that?” Mel asked eagerly.
Aina studied the ghost with a degree of confusion, perplexed by the spirit’s reaction to the mention of what was in her mind an irritating individual. “Yes… Well, maybe not in those words, but he made his disapproval of my actions clear… as he seldom fails to do.” She sighed in irritation. “You two are ‘roommates’, yes? That was the word the peasant used.”
Mel’s freckled face broke out into a smile. “Yeah, we got stuck together. Neither of us wanted to give up the space. He threatened to evict me, but I really sorted him out with my intimidating ghost powers and he promptly acquiesced out of respect for me. So now we share it. It’s our room.”
Aina’s eyes narrowed as she studied the ghost’s clear elation at saying these words out loud, though the princess could tell that the ghost was perhaps fudging some details of her first encounters with the manor’s caretaker.
It’s remarkable, the princess thought, not even in my world have I come across a spirit so lively, so expressive, so clearly aware of their surroundings. She’s not even slightly transparent. Almost as if I reach out and touch her. …She’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.
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For a moment, neither girl spoke. The TV continued to talk in the background: a news story about the masked vigilante hero Shining Hope Guardian, who had been preventing a string of petty crimes in Extremis City.
After consideration, during which she played thoughtfully with the ends of her red hair, Aina asked the question that had been bothering her. “Why tolerate such an unrefined presence in your company?”
Mel looked up, seemingly caught off-guard by the question. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” Aina looked around herself at the room, the wooden walls, the lush carpets, and the artwork hanging on the walls. “You’re a very powerful spirit. Using your spiritual energy, you could forcibly remove that peasant from your space with psychic attacks or even physical trauma. You certainly are capable of that. It wouldn’t have mattered if he refused to leave, you could have forced him to leave, no? He’s an ordinary human, after all.”
The princess paused again, then resumed. “An ordinary human… trespassing in your home. This place — Otter Manor — is your home, isn’t it? You were born here. And that room 01, which both of you now occupy, was where you lived when you were alive, yes?”
Mel's face was unreadable for a moment. Her blue eyes seemed to grow deeper and wider than before. “How did you know that?” she said.
Aina shrugged. “It wasn’t a hard guess. I know a thing or two about spirits from my own world. One as strong as you couldn’t have possibly manifested in any other place — this building must be your birthplace, the place you spent your life, the place where you died. To fulfill all three requirements: that is the only way I could account for a soul like yourself.”
Mel drifted a little closer through the air, her small fingers intertwining with nervousness. She didn’t quite face Aina, though her eyes did dart to her occasionally. “Do I need a reason to want him to stay…?” She spoke these words as if talking to herself. “He saw me first, that’s all. Before anyone else.”
“Saw you first?” Aina did not understand, though a contradiction made itself clear in her mind the moment she asked this question.
On second thought, ordinary humans of this realm cannot see ghosts, Aina remembered, myself and Bridget were exceptions since we came from a realm where spirits are visible to all as a matter of nature. But when we arrived that peasant was aware of and already speaking with this ghost. How is that possible? Unless-
Aina’s train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Bridget into the room. She carried with her the pot of green tea she had been preparing in the kitchen. When the attendant saw the ghost floating in the room, her brown eyes widened slightly, but she seemed to get over her surprise quickly. She bent her tall body and set the pot of tea upon the table next to the couch where it would be easily accessible for the princess.
“There you go, my lady,” she muttered softly.
Then Bridget raised her head, and smiled reassuringly at Mel. “You are Ms. Mel, are you not? It’s good to meet you formally. I am Bridget Abigail Dornlathe, the attendant of my lady Aina. I’ve heard a lot about you from Mr. Cal, Ms. Mel.”
Mel nodded demurely, seemingly not sure how to react to the entrance of the young woman. She made an effort to move her head responsively, feeling put at ease by the attendant’s maternal presence. “All good things, I hope. Cal can get a little impatient with me…”
Bridget’s smile widened. “Mr. Cal has spoken very well of you, please be reassured, Ms. Mel. Myself and Princess Aina have been very eager to meet you — after all, you’re the lady of the house, so to speak. Cal may be the caretaker here, but we are guests in your home.”
“You-” Mel blushed, the tips of her ears reddening, “you are very welcome to stay. I’m not used to Otter Manor being so full, but… it’s nicer than when it was empty for so many years.”
Mel tugged at the ends of her short dark hair, which messily poked out in many directions. “I’m glad Cal gave you a good impression of me, Lady Bridget.”
“Oh, I’m no lady.” Bridget waved her hands in protest in front of her, though she seemed secretly pleased by Mel’s words. “As for Mr. Cal, as I’m sure you’re aware, while he might seem a little aloof, he always treats others fairly and with kindness. He wouldn’t speak ill or well of a person unless he had good reason to. It’s a strange quirk of his personality.”
Mel leaned forward eagerly, her body floating closer to where Bridget stood. The ends of her bare toes sank into the couch. “Yes, I know what you mean! He’s always teasing me! He calls me things like “Poltergeist” and “useless ghost”, but then he still does nice things for me — like, he just rented a movie for me that I mentioned I had been wanting to see after seeing ads for it on TV. We’re watching it tonight: it’s called Blood Murder House On Blood Death Street. …He’s so weird.”
“What an intriguing title,” Bridget commented. Then she tilted her head towards the ghost, her brown eyes glittering. “Mr. Cal is a strange one, isn’t he? Like a sullen cat afraid to show its belly, but who always leaves presents outside your door when nobody's looking.”
The two young women, the attendant and the ghost, giggled together as if they were sharing some sort of private joke. Aina, who had been feeling left out of the conversation, looked with confusion between the two, unsure of what was so amusing about the caretaker of the manor.
I feel as if I’ve missed a step here, Aina thought, is there something obvious I haven’t realized?
Determined to regain control of this strange conversation, Aina addressed the ghost. “Would you like to stay for tea, Mel? I know you can’t have some yourself, but myself and Bridget would very much appreciate your company.”
A look of uncertainty reappeared on Mel’s face, but she seemed to swallow her fears. “Okay,” she said, though her face was a little pale. “If that’s okay. Truthfully, I have so many questions about your world…”
“We’d be delighted to answer any questions you have,” said Bridget, who had taken a seat beside Aina on the couch, “what would you like to know about first?”
The ghost’s blue eyes shone. “Oh, I have a million questions!”
Aina poured herself a cup of tea. “Perhaps just begin with one?”
“Do you guys have, like, dragons in your world?”
“Um…”
The three girls chatted unenthusiastically, until the light in the room transitioned from golden to dark purple, and Cal called them into the kitchen for a supper of spaghetti and fresh bread dipped in olive oil.